Author's Note: 100+ followers! A little over one hundred of you thought this story was worth following and I sincerely thank you for doing so! My apologies for not being able to get this out sooner, but my new job leaves me with very little time to write... unfortunate, I know. But I'll keep posting all summer long, that's a promise.
-Chapter 20: Wraith to the Rescue-
Location: Republic Prison, Brentaal IV
"Everyone has a good reason to fear the dark..."
The Clone never saw it coming.
His simple stroll through the Republic camp on Mygeeto, on his way to the barracks, suddenly went sideways as he was grabbed from behind and pulled into a nearby storage building, where he was thrown against the wall and came face to face with the terrifying visage of The Wraith. Reaching for the blaster holstered on his hip, the Clone's attempt to fight back was promptly stopped as Wraith batted the weapon away and broke his wrist. Wraith's steely grip was then wrapped around the troopers throat as he hoisted him off his feet.
"You have two options: option one is where you tell me what I want to know and I make your death a quick one. Option two is where you tell me what I want to know after several torturous hours of excruciating pain. The choice is yours." He stated threateningly.
After his rather unfortunate fall at the hands of the Jedi, Wraith was in no mood to deal with slow-talking Clones. He needed information and he needed it now.
"I'd rather die!" The Clone gasped, attempting to remain resilient.
"That's going to happen regardless." Wraith growled. "Now, where has the Republic taken General Kir Losan?" He demanded. Clone said nothing and started thrashing about in his grip, desperately trying to pry Wraith's fingers loose from around his neck. Taking his silence as his answer, Wraith triggered his left arm blade and, in a deft move, cut off the Clone's left hand. His screams of agony were cut off as Wraith tightened his grip around the trooper's throat, blood gushing from the open wound where his hand had once been.
If not treated properly, the Clone would likely bleed to death. An outcome Wraith was perfectly fine with.
"That was me asking nicely." Wraith rumbled as his blade disappeared. "Where is General Losan?"
"I... I-I don't know!" The Clone gasped. "I wasn't involved... in the transportation details... All I know is... they took him offworld... somewhere... in General Skywalker's cruiser. That's all I know... I swear it!" It seemed like excruciating pain was a decent motivator after all.
"Then who would know?" He asked, drawing the Clone closer to him.
"One of the commanders... maybe in the one eighty-seventh... or Marines!" The trooper replied. "I don't know, I'm just a private!"
"And that's all you'll ever be." Wraith grunted as he drew a knife and stabbed it into the Clone's head, piercing clean through his helmet. Blood trickled down, around the weapon, staining his armor red as Wraith pulled the knife free, a trail of red following his bloody knife. Unceremoniously dropping the body, Wraith wiped off the excess brain matter before sheathing his weapon and plotting his next move.
If one of the Clone commanders knew about Losan's imprisonment, then he needed to find one and interrogate them. This would not be easy though, as generally most of the higher-up Clones were out in the open or working with other troopers.
Either he'd have to wait until cover of darkness and ambush one, or he could do a lot of killing and forcefully find one.
As much as the latter option sounded better, Wraith knew he couldn't afford to have the entire base on his tail. Not when he little time to spare and important work ahead of him. He realized he couldn't afford to wait until nightfall, not with Losan going to prison. Regardless of his choice, he had to work quickly and carefully. He couldn't afford for any superior officers to hear of his return and tip off the Republic to his plans.
A lowered defence was his favourite kind of enemy defence.
Slipping out of the storage building, Wraith quickly decided to find a Clone commander before they found him...
"I'll never tell yo-ARGH!" The Clone cried as his arm was violently snapped. Wraith had finally found a Clone commander and, after slaughtering the Clones by his side, had the trooper pinned to the ground. He was a Galactic Marine, as his specialized armor would indicate. Since they were the army under Ki-Adi Mundi's direct command, one of the Jedi who had worked to capture Losan, they were one of his best bets for learning the location of Kir Losan.
Except this time, it appeared Wraith would have to change his interrogation tactics. Simple pain didn't seem to be much of a motivator. He already had a slugthrower pressed against the back of the Clone's shaven head and had already broken his right wrist and now his right arm. But the Clone wasn't so willing to give him what he wanted. He would have to threaten something else... or, perhaps, someone else.
"I've asked nicely and yet you still refuse me. So from now on, every second you spend in silence or defiance is one dead Clone." He threatened. "I have no qualms with wiping out this entire camp. It would be time-consuming and not worth the effort, but I would still do it." He growled. The commander beneath him quit struggling, seemingly mulling over his offer as he heaved for air. Wraith applied a light pressure to his arm. "Your shoulder goes next."
"Alright, alright!" The Clone caved, Wraith's 'intense' methods proving a bit much for him. "Just leave my men alone!"
"Talk... and I'll consider it." Wraith rumbled, not willing to grant the trooper any form of leverage. With a sigh the commander revealed the truth.
"They said they were taking him to Brentaal Four." His revelation made wraith shake his head in bewilderment. Of all the places...
"Brentaal?" He wondered aloud. "Why would they take him to such a hotly disputed planet?"
"You don't know?" The commander coughed in reply. "General Ti and her men recently took it back. We're using the prison there for high-ranking Seppies." His explanation raised another question in Wraith's mind.
"If General Losan is such a high priority, why not take him to Coruscant?"
"Because that's where animals like you get to go." The Clone spat. Having heard enough, Wraith promptly fired a slug clean through the commander's head, spilling blood and brain across the ground beneath him. As much as he would've liked to prolong the Clone's suffering, he had the information he needed.
And now he needed to get off Mygeeto and be headed towards Brentaal IV... stat!
Making his way through camp was significantly easier, given his new urban camouflage jacket, but part of him still wished he had a cloaking device of some kind. It would make leaving the premises much easier. Deciding to take the long way around in order to avoid being seen, Wraith disappeared into the sleet and ash covered plains of ice, destined to pass through the city he had just been in, in order to reach the Separatist base.
The remains of battle droids, freshly blasted and destroyed by Clones, lay scattered across the bridge spanning the valley he had crawled out of. He didn't recall seeing them before nad assumed they belonged to the strike team he had requested earlier.
Unfortunately, his initial failure had resulted in their demise. They were destroyed because of him.
Wraith sprinted past the wreckage, boots digging into the ice as he rushed onwards, not even caring if he slipped. The icy plains vanished before him as he summoned all of his stamina and speed to book it at top speed back to the base. Losan was counting on him and he could not afford to waste time.
It did not take him long to return, bounding across the ground until he arrived at the permacrete ground that made up the base's foundation. The droid commander was quick to find him as Wraith made his way back to his shuttle.
"There you are! Our strike force was overwhelmed and General Losan is nowhere to be found!"
"That's because he has been captured." Wraith quickly replied.
"Oh." The battle droid stopped short as the information registered with his logic circuits. "Should I tell Count Dooku?"
"Only if he asks." Wraith answered. "They've taken him to Brentaal Four, which is where I am going now." He explained. Without another word to the befuddled droid, Wraith entered his ship and shrugged off his grey jacket, longing to return to his navy-blue attire. Pulling it over his shoulders as he sat down at the controls, Wraith powered up the ship as he prepared for takeoff.
Next stop: Brentaal IV.
For a world boasting a key Republic prison, Brentaal IV was not what Wraith was expecting.
Located along the Perlemian Trade Route and located Bormea sector of the Core Worlds, Brentaal was commonly considered to be a very valuable world simply because it was located at the intersection of the Hydian lane and the Perlemian Trade Route: the galaxy's two major hyperlanes.
And it was now under the control of the Republic.
Wraith had a feeling he would return to the world at some point in order to cleanse it of Republic influence and bring it back under Separatist control. But for now, he was here for a different purpose. It was a brown planet, arid with salty seas and mostly bland continents, relatively featureless in terms of geography. But it was a big deal in terms of population, given it was a real haven along not just one but two trade routes.
Thus the need for a prison.
"Brentaal. Of all places..." Wraith muttered. "You shouldn't bring a prisoner to a recently captured world. Too many pockets of resistance still around." In his mind, the Republic's choice to move Losan here made no sense. Better an established prison like on Coruscant than something so volatile.
The Republic must be extremely confident in their victory.
His shuttle's scanners quickly located the penitentiary, located in the midst of a desert on one of the continents. Quickly forming a plan in his mind, Wraith decided to test out one of the new features Scipio had managed to install during his recovery.
Which begged the question, why did he have to remove the communications systems? With his helmet transmitters still down, it made sense for the doctor to keep at least one line open.
Regardless, this excursion would give Wraith a chance to test out a very intriguing add-on to his shuttle's control system...
Wraith transmitted a quick jamming signal before starting his descent, hoping to avoid any Republic interference as he remembered the Clone's words about Shaak Ti having retaken the world. Continuing to ping his scanners, Wraith eased his shuttle down towards the planet, en route to the prison holding General Losan. He passed through dust-coloured clouds that slowly grew darker the lower he flew, breaking through the atmosphere with plume of fluff trailing behind his almost-silent ship. Night had fallen across this portion of the planet, meaning his enemies' only source of illumination would come from the lights of the prison and the twin moons above.
Perfect. At least one part of his plan was already in place.
He soared through the air, controlling the movements of his ship just right so as to avoid tripping any alarms or appearing on any scans. He had to be close enough to thoroughly scan the complex but also far enough away to avoid being detected. With his sensors constantly observing his airspace, looking for any sign of interception, Wraith began to perform a thorough scan of the facility's layout. The data quickly began to materialize before him and Wraith plugged in his gauntlet, downloading the information straight to the computation equipment built into it. He would need this to continue the fulfillment of his plan. Flying in a slow loop around the penitentiary below, Wraith cautiously checked every scanner before him as he continued to download the scans of the prison. He was playing a very dangerous game, one that, if he wanted to succeed, required everything to work perfectly and according to his timetable. Wraith quickly reviewed his plan in his mind as he set about programming several navigational commands into the shuttle's control system. Scipio had installed a new autopilot feature, which followed any preprogrammed directives the pilot put into the nav-computer. As long as their was fuel to run on, the ship could fly to any destination the pilot programmed as a route.
Wraith was going to put this feature to the test and, hopefully, use it to his advantage.
His gauntlet emitted a quiet beep as it finished downloading the prison's schematics. Unplugging from the console, Wraith keyed in the last command to the navigational systems before rising from his seat and moving to the rear of the ship. Triggering the door release, a rush of cold wind filled the interior, whipping his coattails wildly about. Stepping to the edge, Wraith glanced back and forth in examination of his airspace before pressing the door release once more and leaping forward into the air.
He was jumping into the compound from a very high altitude.
With arms and legs spread, Wraith dropped like a rock as his shuttle disappeared behind him, flying away as per his orders. The HUD in his helmet indicated he was a little less than a thousand feet away from his intended landing zone: the roof of the prison. Calculations ran through his mind as he rapidly descended, angles and numbers filling his mind along with a momentary wish for a pair of jet boots. He'd noted a pair of observatory towers along the top of the prison, most likely responsible for keeping an eye on the surrounding perimeter. He could use them to slow his descent and hopefully give him a way to cripple the prison's defences.
The building was growing nearer now. His altimeter began to tick down the feet as Wraith pressed his legs together and kept his arms by his side, rocketing towards the ground at an incredible speed. He just needed to wait for the right moment, any earlier or any later would result in catastrophic consequences.
Four-hundred feet... Three-hundred feet... Two-hundred feet... One-hundred and fifty feet...
Snapping up his arms, Wraith fired both grapples at the nearest tower, both of them becoming firmly snared in the durasteel wall. Hoping his strength wouldn't tear the grapples free, Wraith tugged hard on the taut cables and propelled his body in their direction, successfully ending his free-fall. The commando arced through the air, using the combined momentum of his fall and the tension in his grapples to shift his direction and successfully arrive on the roof of the prison. Pulling his tethers free, Wraith quickly rolled to the side of the building, directly underneath one of the towers. Hopefully he was far enough down and hidden away to be seen by any scout or patrolling guard. Bringing up the prison schematic on his gauntlet, Wraith quickly discovered that the cell blocks were located much lower down in the building while the upper levels were dedicated to guards and overseers. That had to mean the prison's central computing systems were located directly beneath him... or at least somewhere on these upper floors. His best bet would be to disable the electricity, short-circuiting the lights and the power to the cells.
Hopefully there would be an external power unit somewhere...
His plan called for either a chaotic distraction, something like a jailbreak that would keep the guards fully occupied, or a power blackout. It all depended on how this place was wired. Cycling through the plans, Wraith determined his best bet was to use both plans: a blackout as a means for him to venture through the prison to where General Losan was being held and a prison break as a way to cover their escape. In such chaos, the guards would be overwhelmed and the two could slip away very easily.
He needed more information though, particularly the whereabouts of General Losan. Something that could only be found in the control deck below him.
Powering down his gauntlet and dashing to the side of the roof, Wraith leapt over the side and turned about, grabbing the ledge as he did. His calculations put the nearest window only a few feet below the edge of the roof. It was a bit of tight fit, but Wraith was confident he could make it work. Using his momentum to his advantage, Wraith armored boots crashed through the plexiglass pane as he suddenly appeared in the control room, startling a series of guards who were standing at various stations. They were human, clad in proper prison uniforms and devoid of Clone armor. These may not be his usual foes, but they were still in his way. Launching five throwing blades into his hand, Wraith whipped his arm around and threw his projectiles. They successfully speared five different opponents in the throat, silencing them all as blood began to flow. Snapping up his other arm and firing his grapple, Wraith reeled in another guard who received a swift chop to the neck, his bones and windpipe shattering on impact. As the body fell to the floor, Wraith drew one of his knives and lunged at the other two guards. Grabbing their stun batons from their belts, they attempted to mount some kind of resistance and fend off their attacker. But they were swiftly ended as Wraith blocked a baton and backhanded the other guard, giving him time to wrench the baton out of the guard's hands before he stabbed him in the neck. Quickly wrenching his blade free as the other guard moved to attack once more, Wraith slit his throat before burying his blade in his neck only to tear it out with a spray of blood trailing behind it. With the room cleared, Wraith sheathed his knife and stepped over to what looked like the central console. A few keystrokes and command hacks later, he had complete access to every file and system in the prison. He quickly pulled up the prisoner roster and scanned through it, identifying the various inmates imprisoned here. Many of them appeared to be rebel inhabitants, sentenced to a life here because of their choice to defy the Republic and refuse to accept their control over their world. It seemed like too grave an injustice to ignore.
Maybe a prison break was in order after all.
Still scrolling through the list of inmates, Wraith finally found Kir Losan's name. Highlighting his file, the commando quickly discovered his target had been taken to a special wing for interrogation and incarceration. No doubt the Republic wanted to get whatever information they could get out of him. "Gotcha." He mused with a grin. At last his redemption was within sight. "Hang tight Losan." Quickly accessing the prison's more vital systems, Wraith soon discovered an exploitable flaw in its design: there was only one central power system and one backup system. If he were to destroy both, the guards would have no way of restoring order. He could easily disable the power from here, but all it would take was one guard to get it back online. He'd have to perform a 'hard-shutdown' and disable the power from its source.
With a plan in mind, Wraith set out to turn the prison into the ultimate playground for the ultimate predator...
It had started off like any other routine night in the prison. Guards patrolled their designated routes, following the clockwork schedule that demanded precise obedience less something go wrong and chaos ensue. Even still, they felt safer tonight as they had a detachment of Clones on their side tonight, adding a few extra layers of security to their numbers. They were anticipating another easy night, another casual twelve hours of guarding locked and inescapable cells full of the Republic's enemies. It was pretty basic for all of them, almost boring for some. Nothing unexpected ever happened.
And then the lights went out. And the power to the cell doors shortly after.
A moment of shocked surprise passed through everyone in the prison, guard and prisoner alike startled by the sudden change, dark red lights illuminating the halls. But once that wore off, the prisoners took full advantage of the moment. They dashed from their cells en masse, overwhelming the guards on duty as they set about arming themselves and plotting to force their way to freedom. The remaining guards and Clones were quick to respond with whatever defences they had in their arsenal but the prisoner's fighting spirit drove them to retaliate, the allure of freedom so close and so tangible fuelling their desire to escape. One particular group of prisoners were making a break for the main doors and rounded a corner only to come face to face with a squad of heavily armed Clones and specialist Riot Troopers. With stun batons, riot shields and fully charged blasters facing them, the ill-equipped prisoners stood no chance, even with the power to the automated defences disabled.
"Drop your weapons and return to your cells!" The squad commander ordered. One of the prisoners had the bright idea of opening fire with the pistol he'd taken from a guard. The round ricocheted off one of the riot trooper's shields, doing nothing apart from inform the guards they had no intention of following their orders.
It appeared excessive force would be required.
But just as the Clones opened fire, a shadowy figured dropped down from the roof, blue lasers being absorbed by incredibly tough armor. The Clones stopped firing and the prisoners looked up in awe as the being before them stared down the Clones with fearless posture and terrifying red optics.
"Shoot! Shoot!" The commander ordered as the shadowy being began stalking towards them. Rounds from the Clones lit up the strange opponent, only for them to bounce ineffectively off of him. They kept firing until he was at point blank range, only then did they realize ther attacks were useless. But by then it was too late.
The Wraith was already upon them.
He attacked with ruthless efficiency, the Clones with rifles falling first as he laid into them with hard punches and kicks. Wrenching the rifle out of one Clone, he promptly beat him over the head with it, before driving the butt into another Clone and using the trigger to quickly execute another with a blast to the chest. Dropping the gun, Wraith grabbed the incoming stun baton of a riot trooper and twisted it in order to block another incoming baton. Shoving the baton in his grasp into the other trooper, the electric shock was enough to drop him, giving Wraith the opportunity to snap the neck of the other Clone with a vicious twist of the head. Striking another Clone in the head with a heavy hit, Wraith reared back and crushed another Clone's helmet with his elbow, successfully downing him. Another riot trooper rushed him with his shield, trying to knock Wraith away or deal damage of some kind to the seemingly invincible foe. But Wraith grabbed the shield and wrenched it from the Clone's hands, only to bash him with it before driving the edge clean through the Clone's neck. Ripping the bloody shield away, Wraith turned and bashed another riot trooper before burying the shield deep in the Clone's gut, blood spilling across the floor and down his armor. Grabbing the stun baton from another trooper, Wraith proceeded to beat down the remaining Clones until the baton was dripping with red fluid. With the Clones dead and dying, Wraith discarded the baton and turned back to the squad of grateful prisoners.
"Get out of here." He rumbled, moving past them. To surprised and awed to even mutter any thanks, the prisoners were prompt to run off towards the exit, leaving Wraith to venture deeper into the chaotic prison alone.
Chaos had truly spread to every level of the prison as inmates ran amok and poorly equipped guards, not counting on having every power system fail simultaneously, tried in vain to restore order. Amidst the rampaging war zone that had suddenly erupted throughout the halls, Wraith strode on seemingly untouchable and unfazed as chaos erupted around him. Prisoners and guards brawled to his right, left and behind him, even the occasional guard tried to take him down, only to meet either a swift and brutal end or vicious and painful rebuff. Nothing would stand in his way and nothing would keep him from his goal.
Losan's cell was not far away and no doubt the most heavily guarded right now.
Deciding to switch up his tactics, Wraith opened up the nearest roof grate and used his grapples to pull himself inside. Pulling up his schematics of the prison, Wraith quickly mapped the ventilation system and plotted his course to Losan's location. With luck, he'd wind up right on top of him. Wraith proceeded to crawl through the narrow passage as he wound through the prison, forced to turn to his blades periodically in order to clear out some oddly placed barriers within the ducts. He avoided the carnage below him as the riot continued to grow in strength and ferocity.
Meanwhile...
A detachment of Clones had been specifically ordered to guard Kir Losan and prevent his escape. No matter the circumstances, these eight were charged with keeping him out of Separatist hands at all costs. While they did not expect a riot to break out, they were prepared for such instances. As soon as they discovered the gravity of their situation, they quickly moved to fulfill their duty. They filed into the interrogation room with Losan in tow, cuffed and properly bound, and put him in a chair in the centre of the room. A lone white light remained on, illuminating Losan and only Losan.
"Alright men, look sharp." The commander ordered. "No one gets in here without our permission. Weapons hot." The Clones charged up their rifles as they strategically positioned themselves around the trapped Neimodian general. Losan looked about, distress written across his face. Surely there was no hope for him now. The Clones stood vigilant, weapons pointed at the door, ready to fire at a moments notice.
What they failed to notice was the imminent threat from above.
With his thermal and auditory scanners giving him a near perfect layout of the darkened room, Wraith could see each and every Clone in perfect detail. His calculating mind quickly began to formulate a plan of attack, one that resulted in eight dead Clones and one freed Losan. But he soon discovered a problem in the form the tight quarters of the room. The Clones were a little too erratic and unpredictable for him to simply announce his presence and go in guns blazing, especially with General Losan so exposed and vulnerable. Sure, his near-precise aim would be a winning factor, but he didn't want to risk it. And if the Clones opened fire on him, using Losan as cover, then that would introduce him to a whole world of trouble. A single shot, a wrongly timed block, there were too many variables that could go wrong. He needed to be precise, not chaotic.
This was not the time for his advanced weaponry.
He would destroy these Clones in hand to hand combat.
With their gaze focused on the door before them, the Clones were not prepared for a stranger to drop down from the roof in their midst rising to full height, all they could see was a mighty shadow with two blazing red optics.
They had no time to react.
Wraith struck hard and fast, wounding the two Clones before him with hard, rib-cracking punches. Executing a high kick, Wraith's boot collided with the chin of an incoming Clone, cracking his jaw before he turned and batted away another Clone's rifle. Wraith struck him with a hard right cross before turning and kicking the shin of another Clone which was quickly followed up with another kick to the chest and a hard overhead blow to the head. The remaining Clones rushed him, trying to take him down en masse. Wraith in turn decided to retaliate by taking them all on. Driving his elbow into one Clone, Wraith blocked an incoming punch with one hand by grabbing the fist as he bashed another Clone with his free hand. Bringing the trapped arm down, Wraith snapped it over his raised knee and silenced the screaming Clone with a chop to the throat. Whipping a throwing blade into the throat of another charging Clone, Wraith attacked another with a punch to the throat that audibly broke everything in the Clone's neck. The next Clone to attack had his punch redirected so it nailed a fellow trooper in the head, allowing Wraith to snap the Clone's neck before lashing out and knocking out two Clones with a perfectly timed double punch. Another Clone rushing him from behind was thrown over his shoulder, his wrist broken and his head crushed beneath Wraith's boot. With all the Clones dead or incapacitated, Wraith decided he was finished. As much as he would've preferred killing them all right here and now, he had a job to do. And he wasn't out of the woods just yet.
Turning back to the shackled Losan, Wraith stepped closer as the Neimodian regarded him with surprise and gladness.
"General." Wrack acknowledged with a tip of his head. "My apologies for taking so long... but I was out cold."
"You truly are a blessed sight Wraith!" Losan eagerly exclaimed. "And here I thought I was done for! Doomed to be shipped off to the Coruscant Penitentiary." The commando ripped apart the cuffs around Losan's wrists before helping the General to his feet.
"Let's get you back to Mygeeto." Wraith stated as he turned to leave. The two made for the exit, stepping over the bodies of dead Clones and groaning wounded in the process. Calmly opening the door the two backtracked through the halls, the chaos having died down significantly. Wraith took note of the sudden change in atmosphere and decided they needed to leave far sooner. Instead of returning to the central wing, Wraith led Losan down a different corridor.
"I trust you have a plan for our escape?" Losan wondered.
"Of course. I have a plan for everything." Wraith replied, launching an explosive into his hand before lobbing it at the dead end before them. The device stuck to the wall and detonated seconds later, blowing out a sizeable portion and granting them access to the prison courtyard...
And a straight path to the waiting Republic reinforcements.
The Togruta Jedi Master Shaak Ti was standing before them, lightsaber in hand and a squad of Clones behind her, weapons armed and pointed directly at the pair.
"Stand down Wraith." She commanded. "You and General Losan will surrender quietly and you will await judgement for your crimes against the Republic."
"You presume to command me?" Wraith wondered, motioning for Losan to get behind him. "And what are these crimes you speak of?"
"Murder in the first and second degree, along with willful destruction of Republic property, theft of Republic documents and willful disregard for Republic law." Shaak replied, listing off only a few of his many 'crimes'. "You have been branded a war criminal and will be treated as such." She stated. Him? A war criminal? Typical. Anyone not on their side or did something so much as contrary to their beliefs was branded a traitor and worthy of incarceration... or execution.
"I believe this is all a matter of interpretation, Shaak. In the eyes of the Separatists, these are not crimes."
"They are to the Republic." The Jedi retorted.
"Then it's a good thing I'm not with the Republic." Drawing his blaster pistols, Wraith suddenly gunned down each and every Clone surrounding the Togruta within a few short seconds, bodies dropping around Shaak with matching scorch wounds in their armor. Shaak was left alone, shocked by the sudden and deadly assault. "Yes, there may be blood on my ledger... but it's going to get a lot bloodier before this war is over." Wraith rumbled as he holstered his pistols. Shaak looked to him with a grim expression and assumed a defensive stance.
"You strike men down without hesitation, but you wouldn't dare strike a lady!" Wraith began to slowly walk forward, cracking his knuckles as he did.
"I'm a firm believer in gender equality." He growled. Sensing his violent intentions, Shaak steadied her lightsaber and rushed ahead, summoning the Force to boost her senses.
You would think that the Republic had learned not to challenge Wraith head-on by now.
Blue lightsaber humming, her weapon came crashing down on Wraith's raised gauntlet and a split-second later, Wraith rounded a heavy punch straight to Shaak's torso. The Togruta gasped for air but was given no respite as Wraith tore her lightsaber from her hands and proceeded to bash her repeatedly across the face. Bruised and bleeding, Shaak then had a knee driven into her gut before her chin was also slammed into the same knee with an audible crack. Grabbing the Togruta by the neck, Wraith ended her with a powerful choke slam that left her gasping for air on the ground.
He was in no mood to deal with any Jedi shenanigans right now.
"We're clear Losan." Wraith stated as he stood. "Time to leave." The two quickly hurried through the prison courtyard as Wraith's shuttle made landfall in a nearby field, just as he had planned. Soon enough the two were taking off, destined to return the General to Mygeeto and Wraith, finally, back to Doctor Scipio's care.
This little detour had gone much better than he had hoped.
Later...
Pomel Scipio was busy.
Numerous screens full of scan data and biometric readings filled his vision as he made notes on a datapad. His latest findings were definitely worthy of documentation, destined to most likely become source material for future studies and resources for moments of consulatation. It seemed there was always something new to be learned, either by mistake or by happenstances. He was currently exploring the curious instances of Wraith's split-personality issue. Upon returning to base, Wraith had explained the circumstances behind his mental plague and Scipio had immediately given him a brain scan and put his knowledge of psychology to use, trying to figure out how to best keep Wraith as himself. Behind him, Wraith was sitting on an operating table, strapping his gear back around his body.
"Well, I've scanned your brain and performed a quick historiographical test. Your psyche was acting a little erratic, just like you've said. I managed to isolate the brainwave pattern for future reference." He announced.
"Good. I'd rather not go through that again." Wraith replied as he made to put his mask on.
"I can't say I blame you." Scipio mused, running through the notes on his datapad. "Normally hearing voice is a simple sign of instability. But this is a full on split-personality issue." Striding over to his creation, Scipio continued to mull over the information on his datapad as Wraith donned his helmet.
"Tell me Doc... what was that voice?" He quietly wondered. "It claimed to be the original owner of this body, claimed to have come before me. I didn't believe it, but the way it could hurt me certainly solidified the idea it knew what it was doing." He explained. "You have to tell me Doc." Scipio fell silent, datapad falling from his view. He had refused to tell Wraith his true origins, believing it was best if he only knew what was best. He had done this out of fear, afraid his words might trigger something that would undo his work. But he also hadn't considered the possibility of his past coming to haunt him.
Maybe it was best for them to confront this together.
"I suppose you deserve to know, especially given the crude revelation." He replied, sighing in relent. Mustering up the courage, Scipio began by dropping a bomb. "What the voice says is true, you are not the first to inhabit that body."
Wraith was shocked. The voice had been telling the truth!
"When the second phase of trials for Project Sunstorm began, we sought out infants from many species, hoping to find just one that would accept the serum. We failed several times but then you were brought to us." The Pau'an recounted.
"This you've told me."
"Yes. I suppose the part I haven't told you is how much of a completely different person you were growing up. You questioned everything going on around you and grew more and more dissatisfied with the Separatists as we revealed the nature of your work." Scipio continued. The doctor paused, remembering the test subject he had worked with so many years before the true creation of The Wraith. "There seemed to be a level of innate 'goodness' to your former self... or other self, I should say. He just wouldn't accept what we Separatists believe and always pursued more Republic-related ideals." That seemed to make sense to Wraith.
"That explains a few things, namely why he wants me to act so contrary." He mused. Silence ensued as Scipio waited anxiously for the information to sink in and his creation to speak again. "So... there is another personality inside me?" He finally said, albeit hesitantly.
"Yes. I have managed to put it away thanks to your information, which helped me prep a reconditioning session, so you should be yourself now." Scipio replied, turning back to his notes. Wraith was left alone with his thoughts as he pondered the new challenge set before him. Perhaps all of his wrongdoings and misdemeanours had been contrived out of the subtle influences of this voice. Maybe the reason why he had been so erratic at times was because of this voice trying to take back control without announcing its presence. But if that was the case, were all of his contrary actions due to this voice?
More importantly, was his desire for Ahsoka born from the influences of this other personality?
No. He had to take control of himself. He needed to prove his dominance over his mind and make his thoughts his own.
"Doctor." He said, catching Scipio's attention. "You know I would never betray the Separatists. If I ever do anything out of line it is because of that voice. I am loyal to this cause and I will never abandon it." He stated. Slowly digesting his creation's words, Scipio turned back to face Wraith.
"I know. I've always known, but your words are reassuring." Scipio nodded, feeling very relieved. Reaching out, he patted Wraith on the arm. "That's good to hear my boy."
